University Of South Carolina

WasteWater Technologies
Water Sustainability

Petra Morgan

SAEL 200

Leah Long

November 9th, 2016

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 When discussing the topic of water sustainability, one becomes aware of humanities

concern in regards to water sustainability and sanitation. Although humanity's desire for a

solution to these issues is evident, one of the problematic variables of this issue is that people

with means to help, are not sure how they can or what part they play in this issue. Aware of the

need, ignorant in ways to help. This seems to be a recurring statement when considering the

majority of people (in America particularly) that have the resources and funds to help serve, but

are confused in which way may be most effective.

As we observe this growing issue of water sustainability and its sub issues such as water

depletion and sanitation, one also becomes aware of the arising controversy surrounding this

topic. When observing these controversies, one must first recognize that these controversies

translate as concerns for people that this issue effects, as well as thoughtfulness when

considering the most effective way to help a particular a country struggling with his issue.

Equality, which can be defined as, ​“The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or

opportunities” (Oxford) directly relates to this issue because all people should have the right to

water. Although this resource is not being specifically withheld from a certain group by people

who are in a better socio-economic condition, not contributing to the efforts being made toward

water sustainability is helping further the gap of inequality. The compassion shown by people

who recognize the inequality when considering water issues in developing countries

demonstrates humanity's awareness of people's right to a necessary resource such as water. All

people share in the right for natural resources, with water being no exception. Thus, all people

deserve an equal opportunity to receive water in order to continue with the daily functions of life.

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 Although this issue continues to be an ever present concern for those who trying to help

resolve this problem, the awareness of and the need for water sustainability has been present for

many years. When considering how there has always been a need for natural resources, one can

look to history to see what tools people in ancient civilizations used to gain a sustainable water

resource. During this time is where we see the establishment of system such as wells, dams,

canals, aqueducts, waterways, and potable water. All of these invention were used as tools for

transporting water and were created in order to have a sustainable water source. We see that

Rome was the first civilization to produce aqueducts on a grand scale that could supply entire

cities. After the fall of Rome and the destruction of their aqueducts, Rome lost a large percentage

of its population due to water insufficiency. This example can serve as a demonstration to how

important water availability is to the growth and maintenance of a society. It also shows how the

lack of sufficient water supplies can have detrimental results.

Just like how there were systems being placed in areas during ancient times, currently

there are technologies being invented and placed in developing countries to try and generate

more water for countries that are in a dry climates. Some of the programs incorporate

technologies such as solar devices and rain water harvesting, that aid in trying to find a

sustainable inflow of water for these harsh environments. Although there are organizations and

programs that are already in that have successful results , the question I pose is how can we make

use of the water people already have access to in these developing countries? Rather than

focusing on the water we do not have, why don’t we focus on the resources we already acquire?

.Although some of these developing countries have access to water sources, a majority of these

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sources are unsanitary due to pollution and contamination. In order to make use of the water that

is already found in regions of these countries, the newly reinvented WasteWater Technologies

should be placed in these areas. Incorporating these technologies in the process of water

sustainability, would be the most effective way in aiding the water sanitation problems, and also

give new meaning to the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Before discussing the issue of how this technology would prove in helping to solve the

issue of unsanitary water and pollution, let us first discuss the accessibility of water and the

effects unsanitary water has on the population. Out of all of the water that if found on earth, only

2.5% of this water is Freshwater. This means that the other large percent is saline and ocean

based, which we are not able to drink. According to the​ National Geographic​'s website, only

about 1% of this small amount of Freshwater is easily accessible to us due to glaciers and

snowfields capturing most of the Freshwater (Natgeo.com) Although this may not seem like a

grave situation to many of us living in the United States or other countries with water resources,

this is an apparent factor when considering water sustainability and sanitation in underdeveloped

countries. 11% of the global population should be a familiar statistic because it represents the

783 million people who live without access to any clean water (un.org) Not only do these people

have limited access to clean drinking water, but are fearful when using the unsanitary water for

activities like bathing, washing clothes, and swimming.

How exactly are people who live in conditions with unsanitary water conditions affected?

Being exposed to toxins and bacteria in the water makes these people more susceptible to

diseases and illness. Although they may live in conditions where they are already exposed to

certain bacterias and have built up somewhat of a tolerance in comparison to our tolerance

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towards foreign bacteria, this tolerance does not protect them from contracting water related

diseases or make them immune to illness. Common diseases contracted from the use of

unsanitary water are Cholera, Malaria, Trachoma, Schistosomiasis, and Typhoid. (UNICEF)

According to World Health Organization (WHO) around 3.4 million people die yearly from

water related disease. 80% of illness related to poor water and sanitation conditions happen in

areas in Sub-saharan Africa, South and East Asia, and India. (CDC )This is a significant decrease

in population every year due to an issue that can be prevented with the right technology.

After evaluating the numerous statistics, effects, and conditions that surround this issue a

common denominator that all of these variables share is the need for sanitary water conditions.

This is precisely why I am advocating for the implication of WasteWater Technologies to be

placed in these developing countries . This newly developed technology by Aquanos Energy and

further enhanced by World Water Works , “captures and harnesses the symbiotic relationship

between bacteria and algae ” (Filtsep.com). What is unique about this technology is that it uses

the aquatic plant, algae, in combination with bacteria to purify contaminated water into clean

water. Because bacteria supplies algae with carbon dioxide, while algae consumes CO2 from the

wastewater and produces oxygen, this allows the algae to provide oxygen to the bacteria thus

allowing both organisms to remove impurities from the wastewater (Filtsep.com).

Along with new inventions inevitably brings skepticism. Many people question the

usefulness of this technology due to the fact that they are concerned with energy conservation,

which is usually an issue in regards to purifying water products. The skeptical question do not

necessarily mean that people question the validity of this technology, but rather it just voices

their concern in regards to creating an energy crisis. Because the creators “recognized that

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eliminating the need to blow air into the wastewater would significantly reduce energy needs”

they use algae because it is a natural process that results in a 90% reduction in plant energy as

well as reduces system operational costs by 40-60% for wastewater treatment (Filtsep.com) This

method also reduce capital expenditures. It manufactures also claim that this technology “is far

more sustainable than other biological wastewater treatment systems that use microorganisms to

treat wastewater, so it is ideal for use in India and other energy-constrained countries”

(Filtsep.com) With the reinvention of conventional wastewater treatments, this new technology

not only produces a quality product for a fraction of total energy consumption, but provides a

dependable resource for people in areas that struggle with water sanitation issues.

In order to help developing countries with the water crisis, limit diseases contracted from

unsanitary water conditions, thus lowering the death rate resulting from these diseases,

implementing new wastewater technologies in developing countries not only provides

technology to produce safe and clean water to a people in need, but provide them with a tool that

lets them utilize a resource they already acquire. These technologies would make use of the

water already provided to developing countries, and would aid population health and growth.

Although implementing these technologies does not seem to be make large difference to some

when they consider the water depletion rate and the small amount of water we currently have

access to, it is important to remember the Afghan Proverb that states, “a little water is a sea to an

ant”. This quote serves as reminder that there is no effort too small in regards to water

sustainability, and even small steps toward progress make a large difference in the lives of many.

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 Word Cited

Global WASH-Related Diseases and Contaminants​. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Freshwater Crisis​. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Engineering, Crane. "Products - Wastewater | Crane Engineering." Products - Wastewater |

Crane

Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Oxford Dictionaries - Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Grammar. ​Oxford Dictionaries​. Oxford

Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

WasteWater Treatment Technologies for Developing Countries​. Filtration Separation. N.p., 05

Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Common Water and Sanitation-related Diseases​. UNICEF – Home. N.p., 17 June 2003. Web.
09 Nov. 2016.

United Nations Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.

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